What happens in a burn?
Heat damages the cells of the skin releasing chemicals that stimulate nerves and cause pain. Burn heals when a new layer of skin grows in from the edges of the burn. However, if the burn is very large or very deep, bacteria may invade and cause infection. Also due to evaporation of fluids from the open wound, the patients may get dehydrated. Hence the 2 major short term complications of burns are infection and dehydration. Long-term, during healing, the wound may start shrinking or becoming smaller leading to contractures. Contracted tissue may lead to a loss of normal motion if present in the limbs and can also cause a distorted appearance due to pull on the surrounding healthy tissue. In a burn patient, sensations of hot, cold, wetness, dryness, touch and pain may change even permanently . A patient post-burn will not to be able to sweat properly due to damaged sweat glands. Hence appropriate clothing as per the season is required (cotton in summer and warm clothing in winter) Skin c
